Problem: Michael buys a basket of coconuts on sale for $\$19$ before tax. The sales tax is $12\%$. What is the total price Michael pays for the basket of coconuts? (Round to the nearest hundredth or cent.)
Answer: In order to find the total price, first find the amount of sales tax paid by multiplying the sales tax by the original price of the basket of coconuts. ${12\%} \times {$19} =$ Percent means "out of one hundred," so $12\%$ is equivalent to $\frac{12}{100}$ which is also equal to $12 \div 100$ $12 \div 100 = 0.12$ Multiply the sales tax you just converted into a decimal by the original price to find the amount of sales tax that must be paid. ${0.12} \times {$19} = {$2.28}$ Add the sales tax you just found to the original price to find the final price Michael paid. ${$2.28} + {$19.00} = $21.28$ Michael needs to pay $$21.28.$